


Desert Crossing

by AnselaJonla



Series: Prompt fills [55]
Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, Original Work
Genre: Discworld References, Gen, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Reddit Prompt, because I can't write Death as a character without referencing Pterry, r/writingprompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25819234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnselaJonla/pseuds/AnselaJonla
Summary: A fic written for a prompt on the r/WritingPrompts subreddit:[WP] You are a young teenager. After you die and say goodbye to your family, the grim reaper, who’s just how you imagined he’d be, black cloak and scythe, reaches out a bony hand for you to take. It’s a long walk to the afterlife, and the reaper hasn’t said a word, so you decide to talk to him.
Series: Prompt fills [55]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1097823
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Desert Crossing

"Mr Death, sir, I..." my voice trails away. What _do_ you say to the person? being? creature that's taking you to the afterlife?

"Yᴇs, ᴍʏ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ?"

I gulp and lick my lips. I probably don't need to, but it feels right. "What's going to happen to me? When I get... there?"

"I ᴀᴍ sᴏʀʀʏ. I ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ."

"Oh. I guess it's meant to be a surprise."

Death stops and lets go of my hand. He kneels down, so his eyes are level with mine.

"I ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ I ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ." He sounds sad. "Hᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ, I ᴀᴍ ʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ғɪɴᴅ ᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅs ᴏɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴᴅ."

I kick at the sand beneath my feet as I think over what Death just said. I get what I want to get? So if I want an eternity of playing every video game that has ever existed and ever will exist with my pet dog at my side...

He chuckles. I must have said that out loud.

"Iғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀʟɪғᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀᴍ I ᴛᴏ ᴀʀɢᴜᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ."

Well, that could be _part_ of the best afterlife at least. It couldn't be the whole thing, you'd get bored eventually.

I look in Death's glowing blue eyes. He's never seen the afterlife, he said. I hope he's not been doing this for too long, because that would be _too_ sad.

"Tʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ʟɪғᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʟɪғᴇ. As ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀs ᴏɴᴇ ᴇxɪsᴛs, sᴏ ᴅᴏᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ."

"It's been you, this whole time?"

"Fᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. Tʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs, ᴡʜᴏsᴇ ᴅᴏᴍᴀɪɴ ɪs ᴇʟsᴇᴡʜᴇʀᴇ."

We're walking again. The desert is never-ending, at least to my eyes. I hope that Death knows where he's going.

"Tʜᴇ ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴀs ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀs ɪᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇs."

"The others... the other worlds. Do they all have humans?"

Death doesn't reply. I wonder if he's even allowed to tell me about other worlds. Is it something that a human, even a dead one, is allowed to know about?

"Mᴀɴʏ ᴅᴏ. Mᴀɴʏ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ. Sᴏᴍᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅs ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴs ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ."

"More?" I wonder what else is out there. Maybe it's elves!

Death presses the flat blade of his scythe against my hand.

"Tʜᴀᴛ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ sᴀɪᴅ ʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ."

So they _do_ exist. But they're obviously not friendly. I can feel Death's eyes fixed upon the top of my head.

"Oɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴇᴛʜʀᴇɴ ᴛᴇɴᴅs ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴs ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs. Wɪᴛᴄʜᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪᴢᴀʀᴅs, ᴅᴡᴀʀғs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʀᴏʟʟs, ᴡᴇʀᴇᴡᴏʟᴠᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴠᴀᴍᴘɪʀᴇs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs ᴏᴄᴄᴜᴘʏ ᴀ ғʟᴀᴛ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sɪᴛs ᴀᴛᴏᴘ ғᴏᴜʀ ᴇʟᴇᴘʜᴀɴᴛs ᴡʜɪᴄʜ sᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ғʟɪᴇs ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴏғ sᴘᴀᴄᴇ."

I giggle. That sounds weird. And totally cool and awesome. Much better than boring round Earth.

"Tʜᴇ ᴡɪᴢᴀʀᴅs ᴀʀᴇ ғᴏᴏʟɪsʜ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡɪsᴅᴏᴍ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ғᴏʀᴀʏs ɪɴᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. Tʜᴀᴛ ɪs ʜᴏᴡ I ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ." He chuckles again, which is a totally terrifying sound. "I ᴅᴏ sᴜsᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴅ sᴏᴍᴇ ɪɴғʟᴜᴇɴᴄᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs 'Fʟᴀᴛ Eᴀʀᴛʜ' ʙᴇʟɪᴇғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴏᴍᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴs ʜᴀᴠᴇ."

I tighten my grip on Death's hand as I start to see a glow on the horizon. He squeezes back, perhaps in reassurance. A great gate appears, the source of the glow. Despite the tightness of my grip, Death's hand slips out of mine.

"Tʜɪs ɪs ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ I ᴍᴜsᴛ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ. Eɴᴊᴏʏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀʟɪғᴇ, ᴄʜɪʟᴅ."

Before I can protest he's gone. Not even footprints remain where he was standing next to me. I take a deep breath and square my shoulders. Death says this place is what I want it to be, so let's make it the _best_ afterlife ever.


End file.
